Trouble at Hogwarts
by Taoreta-Hoshi
Summary: The Marauders are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts but all is not well this year. Still up for their moonlight stolls with their favourite werewolf the Marauders must deal with their NEWTs and a new foe that has it in for them.
1. The Prank

**Fandom: **Harry Potter Marauders Era  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Sirius & Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, Professor Slughorn, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin.

**Pairing:** Severus/Regulus, implied Sirius/Remus

**Genre:** Humour, Romance  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T (May become M in the future)  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Evil prank playing, implied sexual activity, yaoi

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me, sadly.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: The Marauders are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts but all is not well this year. Still up for their moonlight strolls with their favourite werewolf the Marauders must deal with their NEWTs, a new foe that has it in for them and somebody who seems a little more interested in them than before. Things are changing within the comfortable walls they had built for themselves with their friendship, will they manage to keep their bonds strong.

* * *

><p>"If you had told me I'd have been squatting in a cubicle of a toilet with three other guys I'd have said you were loopy." Remus sighed, clutching his schoolbag to his chest.<p>

"Ssh Moony, he should be here soon. Besides, you're the loopy one." Sirius whispered jokingly in reply, squinting at the paper in his hand. It was a Hogwarts timetable for a certain Slytherin student, one Severus Snape. James, in all his loathing for Snape and prowess for pranks, had decided that Severus should start the year off 'explosively'. This had led to the stealing of Snape's timetable and was why James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all squeezed into one cubicle.

"How do you know he'll even come?" Peter asked.

"Inside information." James replied, tapping his nose.

"Basically James has been watching Snape go to the bathroom." Sirius laughed. James cuffed his best friend around the head but he was smiling as he did so, so it wasn't serious.

"So you're positive we're not wasting our time?" Remus asked.

"We all have a free period now anyway." Sirius yawned and fought to turn around in the cubicle so he was facing his brown haired friend. Remus felt himself blush at their closeness, but forced himself to meet Sirius' gaze.

"That's my point Padfoot, we need to spend this time working and-." Whatever Remus wanted to say to chastise his friends was muffled by Sirius' hand as the door creaked open and somebody entered. Each of the Marauders fell as quiet and as still as they could, straining their ears.

"I don't know, it sounds too dangerous for mere revenge." That was definitely Snape's voice and James grinned gleefully, assuming the black haired boy was talking to himself. As he was raising his wand to cast the spell somebody replied to his words.

"Do you think Potter and his friends think of the danger of their pranks before they play them, Severus?" Sirius' eyes widened and he grabbed James' arm to stay his wand hand, shaking his head.

"What?" James mouthed in annoyance.

"That's Regulus' voice!" Sirius mouthed urgently back.

"So?" James asked quietly. Sirius rolled his eyes and made to answer, despite the fact that he wasn't facing James so he might have to talk louder than necessary, but it was Peter who replied.

"Regulus Black can cast some spells even seventh years here couldn't hope to ever perform. Even some Aurors would have trouble with some of the spells he can perform."

"Exactly." Sirius agreed in a whisper, "If you curse Snape right now they'll both know that somebody is in here with them, they'll find us and Reg will want revenge."

"From the sounds of it he already does." Remus interjected before James could reply.  
>"If you're quiet we might be able to figure out what for." The two black-haired Marauders fell silent and they all listened, waiting with bated breath for either Snape or Regulus to continue their conversation.<p>

"Of course they don't, they're too arrogant for that." Snape finally said bitterly as the Marauder's listened on, "But what you're suggesting…"

"Scared Severus?" Regulus asked, "Remember it was Potter and his friends that cost you the relationship you held dear with Lily Evans. Surely just that on its own is enough to warrant revenge?" Snape turned from Regulus to the mirrors and clenched his fists on the sinks.

"It was my fault…I used such a word." He admitted but Regulus found reason for laughter.

"After Potter and his friends pushed you and pushed you. Lily doesn't understand that. Sure she knows that they bully you, they have bullied you since your first year here but she doesn't understand the pressure that puts on you, how that makes you feel. I understand and I can help you." Snape turned to the younger Black and surveyed him while he was speaking. It was almost like looking at a mirror image of Sirius Black, but younger and with shorter hair and beautifully defined cheekbones set in alabaster skin. When Regulus was done Snape blinked and looked away from Regulus' haunting grey eyes.

"If they were doing this to you what would you do Regulus?" He asked. Regulus turned to the mirrors as well and reached a hand out to his reflection slowly.

"Worse that what I'm suggesting to you. I'd create a spell just for revenge, one that only I knew the anti-curse to and make sure that it was a spell that would leave permanent and visible scars." He snapped coldly. Snape felt the corner of his mouth twitch when Regulus spoke but he held down the smile. The younger Slytherin's words had given him an idea, a dangerous idea.

"Maybe we should go somewhere private to plan this?" He suggested. Silence met the Marauder's ears after that, followed by footsteps and the door closing. James immediately opened the cubicle and they fell from it, collapsing in a heap on the floor with James the only one on his feet.

"What the hell was that?" He asked incredulously.

"Sounds like Regulus has teamed up with Snape and try and teach us a lesson, or more seriously to teach you a lesson Prongs." Peter said as Sirius helped him to his feet.

"Sirius your brother can be a real asshole." James snapped, patting down his robes.

"It's not my fault _I _didn't raise him." Sirius snapped in reply and Remus put himself between the two friends before they really started fighting, reaching out a hand to each of them to keep them apart.

"If Regulus really is plotting revenge, we need to be careful, especially you James." He said, pushing Sirius towards the door, along with Peter.

"It'd be nice to know what their little revenge scheme is." James mused as the four tramped back to Gryffindor tower.

"Well at least we know it isn't violent, Regulus himself said that that would be his own revenge if we were bullying him, which we aren't. So we've got reason to assume Reg or Snape are going to do something stupid." Sirius pointed out, collapsing into a chair in front of the fire.

"We may find out soon as well." Peter suggested as the other Marauder's settled themselves in armchairs as well.

"I wonder what Snivellus has promised Regulus for his help." James said after a while, running a hand through his hair. Sirius, who had been staring absently into the flames, looked up and shook his head.

"Regulus may believe in pureblood ways and be intrigued by you-know-who, he's too caring to charge for his…'services'."He disputed and James glanced at him. Sirius' grey eyes were reflecting the firelight in a disturbing way; it made him look empty and soulless, but full of anger at the same time.

"So you're telling me that he cares for Snivellus?" James asked. Sirius fixed him with a penetrating stare, though he was unsure if James was being serious or not.

"Yes that's what I just told you. Regulus is protective, caring and selfless." Sirius replied. Either way if James was faking or not, he had given a reply and any doubts Peter or Remus may have had would have been cleared.

"He's amazingly strong when it comes to magic." Peter chipped in and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah but is he strong enough to face all four of us?" James challenged.

"Who knows? But all I can tell you is that if you want to fight Regulus I am not fighting him with you, can you imagine the reaction my parents would have if they knew I'd raised a wand against my brother?" Sirius asked, throwing Snape's timetable down on the table in front of them and leaning back in his chair. James did the same, pretending in front of his friends that he was not fazed by what he had heard in the toilet.

Elsewhere in the castle Regulus was charming the door of his dormitory room so that nobody could enter unless he allowed them. Snape was sat on his bed, twirling his wand around in his fingers. His gaze strayed to where Regulus was working every now and then.

"So Severus do you want to know my idea?" Regulus asked when his charm was done. Snape nodded and took the hand Reg offered him.  
>"I think we should break up the Marauders from within, using the ultimate betrayal. I don't know if you've noticed Severus," Here Regulus paused to slip Snape's robes from his shoulders, followed quickly by his own, "But my brother has feelings, strong feelings for Remus Lupin."<p>

"The way he's hanging over him like a love-sick school girl was a giveaway." Snape interrupted and Regulus smiled.

"Well yes if you say so. Now listen closely." The smaller, younger Slytherin slid his arms around Snape's shoulders and moved closer to him,  
>"We're going to charm Potter," Regulus whispered, his breath ghosting along Snape's neck, making the dark haired teen shiver.<br>"And Potter is going to forcefully come onto Lupin." Reg's lips were gently moving against Snape's skin as he talked and Snape slipped his arms around Regulus' waist.  
>"I'm sure my brother has told Potter of his feelings for Remus Lupin and Lupin will have definitely have told Potter he feels the same way. So, when James Potter forcefully comes onto Lupin and Sirius finds them…" Regulus had paused, his lips poised over Snape's, standing on a slight tiptoe to reach them.<p>

"I can guess the rest." Snape whispered. Regulus smiled again and brought their lips gently together. Snape allowed Regulus to have a degree of control over the kiss, he knew when Reg was like this there could be no argument on who had control.

"Break their bonds from within, weaken them, and then take our complete our revenge." Regulus murmured happily into the kiss.

"Our? What did Potter and friends do to you?" Snape inquired, moving back a little to fix his faze on Reg.

"When they started messing with you they started messing with me as well. We're in this together, and we're going to end it together." The younger Black snapped, before hotly kissing Snape again. _Sweet,_ Snape found himself thinking, but did not dwell on it, as Regulus' hands had moved to his waist and under his shirt.

"Is this a demonstration of what Potter will do to Lupin?" Snape teasingly asked and Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Do you want it to be forceful?" He inquired, causing Snape to quickly shake his head, "Then do not question me Severus." He continued and pushed Snape down onto the bed, straddling him before leaning down for another kiss.

"Black! Open the door Black!" A voice cried on the other side of the door and both Regulus and Black smiled.

"We know you're in there Black! Open the fucking door!" Another voice called.

"I'm sorry but Regulus Black is currently occupied with important things, please try again later." Regulus said and turned his attention back to Snape, despite the continued banging and shouting.

"Or leave a message after the tone." Snape added, slipping a hand onto Regulus' member, eliciting quite a loud moan from him. The boys outside feel silent, as did Regulus, before he pounced forward to tackle Snape, laughing.

"Let's resume the 'demonstration'." Regulus giggled and bent his head down to Snape's neck, kissing at the skin there, with his teeth grazing a little to leave a love-bit that would be viewed just above Snape's collar.

Snape, while Reg worked on his tender flesh, slid his hand under Regulus' shirt and very carefully opened the buttons to free his chest to the air. Regulus however sat back and sighed.

"What?" Snape asked.

"Our free period is almost over." Reg pointed out. Grimacing Snape lifted himself onto his elbows and traced the contours of Regulus' chest with his eyes.

"But we have some problems to sort out." He informed Regulus and shifted his hips up slightly to emphasise his point.

"We can always give each other a…helping hand." Regulus winked and pulled the curtains around his bed closed.

When Snape hurried down to the dungeons he was only just on time for Slughorn was letting the students into the classroom. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all entered before him and Snape gladly took a seat at the back of the room.

"Welcome back for NEWT level potions everybody, it's very nice to see you all." Slughorn began, "Can anybody tell me the names of the potions I have set up before you?" There was a slight bustle amongst the students to move forward and look at them. It was Sirius' hand that hit the air first.

"Yes, Mr. Black." Slughorn beckoned him forward and Sirius stepped away from his friends to observe the potions more closely.

"That one, that's Veritaserum," he began, jabbing his finger at the first cauldron, "A colourless, odourless serum that is the strongest truth serum in the world to date."

"Very good." Slughorn smiled.

"That's Polyjuice Potion, it transforms the drinker into somebody else. An average dose lasts for an hour." Sirius nodded at the thick, bubbling potion next to the Veritaserum. Slughorn's smile only widened.  
>"And this is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It's meant to smell differently depending on what a person finds attracting. I smell," Here Sirius paused before mumbling, "Chocolate and strawberries."<p>

"Well done Mr. Black, right on all accounts. Now, for ten points to Gryffindor, can you tell me what this little one is?" Slughorn asked, holding up a tiny vial of golden liquid.

"I have no idea." Sirius shrugged, already heading back over to James, Remus and Peter again.

"Sirius! You just lost us ten points." James hissed.

"Do you know what it is?" Sirius asked quietly.

"No." James admitted.

"Then shut up." Sirius continued.

"That's Felix Felicis." Snape called out from where he stood, hidden behind the other members of the class.

"Very good Mr. Snape, this is Felix Felicis, also known as-."

"Liquid Luck." Snape interrupted and Slughorn nodded happily.

"Yes, one sip of this and you will find all your endeavours will succeed, until the effects wear off." Slughorn added, "This small vial here is what I will give to the one of you that brews an acceptable _Draught of Living Death_ in the time that remains. You will find the recipe in your books on page 10. Off you go."

James dragged Sirius, Remus and Peter off to table nearer the back, "If we win that Felix Felicis we could find out what Snivellus and Regulus are planning." He hissed, flicking through his book to find the potion.

"You'd be better brewing Veritaserum," Sirius pointed out, already gathering his ingredients.

"Or just staying alert." Remus added. James caught the blush that scattered over Sirius' face and laughed quietly.

"It's not like they'll actually get a chance to conduct whatever they're planning anyway." James laughed. Peter opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Sirius' Sopophorous bean flying across the table and hitting him in the head.

"Oops, sorry Peter, these things are-." Sirius was also interrupted by Remus' attempt at cutting into the bean. Rubbing the spot where he had been hit Sirius glanced over to where Snape was scribbling notes on his copy of _Advanced Potion-Making. _

"Is he defiling the book?" James asked as he smacked his hand down over the bean to stop it from escaping.

"It looks like he's modifying the recipe." Remus concluded, having followed Sirius' gaze. Sirius shrugged and leant forward to try and cut the bean again.

Snape noticed the four Gryffindor's staring at him but made himself ignore them. He had discovered a way to extract the juices from his Sopophorous bean accidently, and was adding a note of what he had done for future reference. His mind was still wandering and focusing on Regulus, the slenderness of his fingers, the gentleness of his touch. It was that that had made him crush his bean while absently attempting to cut it. _If I can brew a perfect potion and gain the bottle of Felix Felicis then Regulus and I will have more chance of getting back at Potter and his friends, _Snape considered as he stirred the potion lazily, adding a few differences for luck. It seemed to work wonders for his potion though as at the halfway stage it was the right shade of lilac.

Peter had, in despair of trying to cut the Sopophorous bean, began to hack at his bean before throwing his knife down and punching the table in protest. A faint cracking noise distracted the Marauders from their futile efforts and when Peter lifted his hands he had a crushed Sopophorous bean beneath them. His eyes flicked up to the other Marauders and blinked.

"Quickly Peter the juices!" Sirius cried and Peter caught up the bean and let the juice drip into his potion.

"Well done Wormtail." James congratulated their friend.

"So you have to crush it?" Remus inquired.

"Looks like it." Sirius ran a hand through his hair then turned back to his bean.  
>"Hey James if you win the Liquid Luck you might actually have a chance with Evans." He mentioned as each of the Marauders finally moved onto the next stage of the potion making.<p>

"You think?" James asked, his head shooting up and nearly upsetting his cauldron.

"'All your endeavours will succeed,' that's what Slughorn himself said." Sirius continued. James face lit up and his attention went into nothing but his potion. Sirius swapped an amused look with Remus before eying Snape again/ the Slytherin boy was scribbling in his copy of _Advanced Potion-Making _again. Sirius shrugged and turned his attention to his _Draught of Living Death. _

Slughorn finally called an end to the lesson and slowly went round each table, looking into every cauldron. As he did not stop at any of the cauldrons he obviously was not impressed by any that he saw. He lingered at the Marauder's table, his eyes alighting on what they had concocted, making James' eyes light up in hope. Slughorn however passed their table, coming to the one where Snape sat, alone and still scribbling in his textbook. Slughorn peeped inside his cauldron and gasped loudly.

"Well, well, well Mr. Snape has done it, this is," Slughorn exclaimed as he dropped a leaf into Snape's cauldron and watched as the potion destroyed it, "A perfect _Draught of Living Death. _Here you are Mr. Snape, one vial of Felix Felicis as promised." The potions master handed it over to Snape and the rest of the class applauded him, except the Marauders.

"My chances with Lily." James exclaimed as everyone made to pack up their belongings and leave for their next class.

"Don't worry about it Prongs, you'll just have to use your natural charms." Remus reassured his friend but his remark made Sirius snort in laughter.

"What?" James asked.

"It's just that there is something wrong with what Moony said." Sirius laughed.

"And what's that?" Remus and James asked together.

"Evan's hates James' natural charms." Sirius replied matter-of-factly and James dropped his head back onto the desk in defeat.

Snape had hurried from the room as soon as Slughorn had said they were dismissed and missed the Marauder's exchange about Lily, rushing off to his next lesson and hoping that the day would soon be over so he could talk to Regulus about what he had won. However, when lunch rolled around and soon after that tea as well Snape did not see Regulus at the Slytherin table, he did not see Regulus in the hall at all. After having retired to the Slytherin common room in hopes of finding him there Snape had begun work on an essay that had been set in Defence Against the Dark Arts, messing every so often with the vial in the pocket of his robes. Midnight rolled around and Snape was now sure that all his roommates were asleep now in the room they shared. Disappointed that he had not seen Regulus to tell him what he had found Snape made his way up the stairs and slid over to his bed.

"You're late." A voice whispered and Snape realised that Reg was curled on his bed, a book cradled in one arm as he waited for Snape.

"I didn't know you were going to be here." Snape murmured in reply, slipping into his pyjamas and closing the curtains of his bed tightly.

"Evidently." Reg muttered as he scooted over to allow Snape into his bed.

"I have something that might help us get to Potter." Snape finally managed to say.

"Oh really? What is it Severus?" Regulus asked, intrigued, leaning his head on Snape's chest.

"Felix Felicis." He whispered. Regulus' face first showed confusion, then realisation and then, to Snape's surprise, annoyance.

"Do you think I need help to take our revenge?" Regulus hissed.

"No, I think you could do it all alone but I thought it would be nice to feel lucky." Snape explained quickly. It took a moment before Regulus smiled and snuggled against Snape.

"You're quite considerate Severus." He murmured as his eyes slid closed. Snape smiled.

"I try my best." He muttered in reply.

"This will be…the prank to remember." Regulus declared sleepily and it wasn't long before he and Snape were both blissfully dreaming.

After having gone on a Harry Potter film Marathon and seen The Deathly Hallows Part 2 I have a strange obsession with the Marauders and so as such I decided to write a fanfic about them.

* * *

><p>A few things to note; I assumed that Slughorn's first NEWT potion lesson would usually be the same, which is why this one is extremely similar to the one that happens in the HBP.<br>Also, I have chosen specific lessons for the Marauders and other characters to attend to help the story along, as it is never stated specifically which lessons they attended while at Hogwarts.

So rate and review please ^^


	2. Confessions

**Fandom: **Harry Potter Marauders Era  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Sirius & Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, a random Sirius admirer.

**Pairing:** Severus/Regulus, Sirius/Remus

**Genre:** Humour, Romance  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T (May become M in the future)  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Sexual activity, yaoi

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me, sadly.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: The Marauders are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts but all is not well this year. Still up for their moonlight strolls with their favourite werewolf the Marauders must deal with their NEWTs, a new foe that has it in for them and somebody who seems a little more interested in them than before. Things are changing within the comfortable walls they had built for themselves with their friendship, will they manage to keep their bonds strong.

* * *

><p>Morning soon rolled round and the bustle of Snape's roommates woke both him and Regulus. The latter snuggled down into Snape's covers to hide from his roommates as Snape jumped from the bed to get dressed. Swiftly, without a second glance at his bed, Snape changed into his Slytherin robes and fastened his cloak around his shoulders. Despite having to go to breakfast before any lessons Snape had Herbology first and the weather was not brilliant. Snape waited for his roommates to leave before whipping his curtains back to reveal Reg sitting up and stretching.<p>

"You need to go to your dorm now Regulus." Snape pointed out.

"I know Severus, I'll see you at lunch." Regulus said happily, sliding from the bed and near enough skipping from the room. Snape watched him leaving before following him down the stairs and heading up for the Great Hall.

In Gryffindor tower as Snape was making his way to the Great Hall Sirius and James were just stirring from their dreams. James had somehow turned round so he was facing the wrong way during the night and Sirius was curled up in the sort of position expected of a dog more than a human. Remus, who was already awake and dressed, watching in amusement as the two attempted to right themselves. Peter was snoring still blissfully until one of Sirius' shoes flew across the room and hit the hangings over his bed, scaring him awake. James, Sirius and Remus laughed at him.

"I'm so hungry." James complained once Peter had blinked and cleared his head, "And I've got Herbology first."

"So do all of us James…well except Padfoot." Remus pointed out, standing up as the other's started dressing and packing books into his school bag.

"What do you have Padfoot?" James asked, laughing as Peter poked his head from between the hangings and fell out of the bed.

"History of Magic." Sirius replied airily, causing James to drop the shoe he was holding. Ignoring his friend's reaction Sirius started shoving books into his school bag.

"Why the hell did you choose History of Magic?" James asked incredulously and Sirius turned to him.

"Though Professor Binns is the most boring Prof. in the entire school the lesson itself is interesting enough." He explained, summoning his shoe from the folds of Peter's bed and pulling it on.

"But you could never stay awake in the lessons." Remus noted.

"Yeah I know and I still can't." Sirius shrugged nonchalantly, sinking onto his bed to wait for Peter to finish dressing so they could go to down to breakfast.

"So…how do you…um…intend to learn?" James inquired, wondering as he did so why anyone would _voluntarily_ take History of Magic.

"A simple charm on my quill and it writes down everything that comes out of Binns' mouth during the lesson. After that I go through the notes it took and take out all the irrelevant things and learn the material for the lesson." Sirius explained lightly, slipping his wand into his robes and smiling as Remus smiled at him, impressed. James and Peter however were staring at him with wide eyes.  
>"What?" He asked.<p>

"That's ingenious!" James exclaimed and he threw an arm around Sirius' shoulders as his friend stood up to make his way to the door as the other Marauders were ready.  
>"Teach me this spell?" He begged.<p>

"No way Prongs I'm not having you cheat your way through your NEWTs." Sirius refused and James' face fell.

"Let's go, breakfast is waiting." Remus said loudly, pushing the two dark haired Marauders towards the door, Peter following quickly behind. Remus was still a prefect and though Sirius' plan did impress him he knew he should report him to a teacher. Still, Sirius was his best friend, so there was no way he was going to.

"Come Sirius, it'll help me every once in a while." James begged as they made their way to the common-room. Sirius' reply was cut off by a red haired girl walking past them, distracting James' attention.

"Good morning." Lily Evans greeted the four boy's with a smile but had walked off before any of them had a chance to reply to her, leaving Sirius blinking in surprised, Remus smiling and Peter worried about the food.

"Did…she just smile at us?" Sirius asked, having to make sure he hadn't imagined it.

"Well she definitely greeted us nicely." Remus agreed, though he got on very well with Lily.

"She…smiled at me." James' words came out gasped and his eyes were extremely wide.

"Prongs? It's okay Prongs let's move." Sirius replied, attempting to push James forward. The black haired Chaser however refused to move, even when Peter stuck his wand into the small of his back.

"James!" Remus snapped and James turned to him, the slightly dazed look on his face gone.  
>"Move! Right now!" Remus ordered, a glare on his face. James immediately started walking, though every now and then he stumbled.<p>

"Nice one Rem." Sirius congratulated his friend and Remus blushed lightly, though Sirius did not comment on it if he saw it.

""You have to be firm with people like James." He explained and Sirius blinked, before bursting into laughter. James rounded on him, hand inside his robes evidently grasping his robes.

"Are you laughing at Lily?" He snapped. This statement made the other three Marauders all raise their hands in peace and swap worried expressions.

"Nah Prongs Remus just said something rude." Sirius managed to choke out in reassurance.

"Only to an immature mind." Remus sighed, stepping around James and heading off to the Great Hall with Peter hurrying after him. James blinked a couple of time before once again slinging an arm around Sirius' shoulders and leaning into him.

"She smiled at me Padfoot." He said happily and Sirius forced himself not to roll his eyes. Five years of being ignored by one girl when said girl finally shows some attention James turned into an idiot.  
>"How can you deal with loving Remus and never being near him Padfoot?" James asked. Sirius had finally given up during a tirade of letters from James over the summer begging him to admit who it was he liked and written a detailed letter to James firstly outlining that James was being really annoying and secondly telling James that it was Remus he had liked. Little did Sirius know that James had been doing the exact same to Remus and Remus had also given in and told James that he liked Sirius. So now James had made it his personal mission to slowly drop hints and get them together.<p>

"Remus shows me attention all the time and he never ignores me." He explained, steering James down the wide flight of stairs that would take them into the Entrance Hall.  
>"Now do you think you can walk to the table on your own?" Sirius asked and James nodded. Letting go of his friend Sirius watched as he headed up the aisle towards where Remus and Peter were sitting opposite each other on the table and walked up the other side, sitting opposite Remus and James.<br>"It's a nice day for Herbology." Sirius commented, looking up at the ceiling.

"We'd be inside even if it was raining." Peter replied between mouthfuls of food.

"What's everyone's second lesson?" James asked.

"Divination." Sirius and Remus replied in unison, smiling at each other when they did.

"I've got a free." Peter murmured.

"Me too," James smiled, "Is it me or do the days get longer the further up the years you go?"

"No Prongs, some lessons are just shorter than others, to allow for students to take more." Remus replied.

"It's almost time to go." Sirius sighed, picking at his breakfast wistfully.

"Looking forward to your lie in?" James inquired.

"I always try and stay awake, it just never works." Sirius answered, standing and grabbing his bag,  
>"See you in Divination Moony." With that he departed.<p>

"Oh see how he doesn't say goodbye to us." James exclaimed and Remus smiled, "Hey Rem, do you still think he doesn't like you back?" James asked sneakily, cutting into a fried egg as he asked.

"Yes. Sirius flirts too much with all the girls, he's always going from one to the other, he can't be gay." Remus said matter-of-factly but his thoughts were chasing each other around his mind. James had been hinting a lot recently that Sirius was actually gay and liked him the way that he liked Sirius. Remus found it hard to believe, but he didn't think that James would lead him on like that just to hurt him in the end.

"But just say he was-." James was saying and Remus, who was still unsure, decided to interrupt him,

"Then there is still no chance he would like me James. I'm his friend, nothing more, nothing less." With that said he hurried from the hall.

"Come on Pete, we'll sneak you a snack from the kitchens for you in our free period if you're still hungry. It's time to go." James informed the other boy, who was still eating. As Peter wistfully put down his knife and fork James thought on Sirius' and Remus' relationship and how they were both idiots. _It's so obvious they like each other, I've known for so long but they act as normal as possible around each other but…I don't know, stupid idiots!_

Across the hall Snape felt his heart beat quicken from what he had heard. A simple charm had amplified the Marauder's conversation and what James had inquired of Remus after Sirius had left made Snape sure that Regulus' plan would work.

The day seemed to drag for the Marauders as they hardly saw each other and when they did each of them so much work to do there was no time to talk much. It was only when all four of them collapsed into bed at night that they finally had time to talk.

"Roll on Christmas holidays!" James cried, stretching.

"You going home for them?" Sirius yawned, joining James in a stretch before falling onto his bed and kicking off his shoes.

"Depends on my parent's plan really, why you want to come Sirius?" James replied sleepily.

"Nah, I'm staying here for the holidays. Remus, will you be staying?" Sirius asked, his heart banging in his chest, hoping Remus said yes.

"Yes most definitely." Remus smiled, though he missed the smile that graced Sirius' lips when he got the answer.

"I'm going home too." Peter piped up making James and Sirius laugh.

"I was going to ask you next." Sirius reassured him.

"God I'm so tired." James whispered.

"Sixth year is so painful and it's only been a day." Sirius agreed, rubbing at his eyes.

"So…much…effort." James whistled as he dragged himself out of bed to change his clothes so he could sleep. Sirius stood up too but merely changed his clothes with a flick of his wand. Remus and Peter imitated him.

"Show off," James stuck his tongue out before biding everyone goodnight. Sirius, Remus and Peter swapped goodnights as well before everyone climbed into bed, accompanied by yawns and creaking mattress springs.

Sirius however found that despite how tired he was he could not fall asleep and lay staring at the crimson canopy above him with his mind racing. It would be just him and Remus at Hogwart's alone for the Christmas holidays and all of James' hints at Remus' feelings had been building up during the small times when the two of them had been alone together during the day, and Sirius knew James wouldn't do anything to hurt him, or Remus. Maybe it would be the best time to show Remus his true feelings…Sirius smiled. It was unnerving to think of doing such a thing to his best friend. When he thought of how far away the Christmas holidays were Sirius shook his head and nodded to himself, if he was going to admit to Remus his true feelings he would do it soon, so they could spend Christmas together as a couple. With happy images running through his mind Sirius drifted off to sleep.

Remus, lay in the bed next to Sirius', thought he heard a small chuckle from Sirius' bed but he ignored it and let his thoughts run unguarded. For a few weeks he and Sirius would be alone. James had continued dropping hints during the day like he had been over the summer when Remus had finally told him it was Sirius he was in love with. And despite what he had said to James this morning Remus couldn't help but feel that James was right, he wouldn't lead him on so much if he wasn't. Sirius did flirt with a lot of girls but he never got emotionally involved with anybody. He had even been wary of getting too emotionally involved with them at first, for fear that once they knew what he was really like, and his short fuse, they would no longer want to be his friends but Remus knew that Sirius shared near enough everything with all three of them now. Remus curled on his side and smiled, trying to imagine a warm body pressed against him but failing miserably. Sighing quietly Remus closed his eyes and wished the holidays would come sooner.

Sharing a bed at Hogwarts was always risky but Regulus and Snape had become masters of doing it in the time they had been sharing. Snape had told Reg about what he had heard from the Marauder's at breakfast and the smile that had curled on Regulus' lips showed Snape just how happy the news had made him.

"If we do it any time I think either after the Christmas Holidays, or just before them." Reg murmured as they lay, tangled beneath the sheets.

"Wouldn't it be better to do it after. It gives us a lot of time to monitor their movements and behaviour and Black might make a move on Lupin." Snape suggested. Reg tilted his head to look at him.

"You're right, if he makes his move, well if either of them make a move and Potter, who they will most definitely tell, makes a move on Lupin after that…it's almost too perfect." He agreed.

"I assume you will be going home for the holidays?" Snape asked.

"I'm not sure. I would like to spend my Christmas with you but my parents might get suspicious, especially if Sirius is staying too." Reg whispered. Snape smiled sadly.  
>"Let's not think about that now, we have months together until then." He added when he noticed and kissed Snape's cheek.<p>

"Yes, we have all that time." He smiled.

"I love you Sev." Reg murmured.

"I love you too Regulus." Snape murmured in reply, tilting his head down to kiss Reg on the lips. Reg smiled and pulled the emerald sheets more comfortably around them.

The next morning was exactly the same for the Marauder, just with different lessons. So was the next and the next until the weekend came, which two of the Marauders were unaware of.

"What's our first lesson today?" James asked.

"I dunno I can't find my timetable." Sirius replied sleepily, rolling out of his bed as he attempted to sit up. From this position he found himself staring at an amused and upside-down Remus who was smiling with his arms folded.

"You don't have any lessons today, either of you." He informed them.

"Why?" Sirius asked stupidly.

"It's Saturday." Remus laughed, holding out a hand to help Sirius up. Sirius scrambled round so he was no longer half on half off his bed and took Remus' hand. As he stood nausea rose in him and he fell forward into Remus in an awkward hug. Both boys blushed but neither of them moved backwards until James started fretting suddenly that he needed to get ready for the Quidditch try-outs this morning and they jumped apart.

"Aren't you on the team anyway?" Sirius asked, busying himself with pulling some clothes to wear from the midst of his trunk to avoid eye contact with Remus, who had started ordering the books on his bed, both wearing embarrassed smiles which James, even in his worried state, noticed.

"Yeah but I have to be there to help choose the rest of the team by testing them, and I can't be late." He cried.

"Make sure to grab some breakfast!" Remus called as James hurriedly left the room, still pulling his Quidditch robes on.

"I bet you want him to eat something smothered in chocolate for his nerves right?" Sirius inquired with a small smile.

"Chocolate does heal most things." Remus defended and Sirius laughed, finally extracting some black jeans and a plain black jumper from his trunk and pulling them on.

"I never said it didn't." He pointed out before heading toward the door, pausing and looking at Peter's bed.  
>"Where's Peter?"<p>

"He left before you and James got up, went to get the best food." Remus replied, joining Sirius by the door. The common room was mostly empty, Sirius guessing that most of Gryffindor house wanted to join the Quidditch team for the popularity more than the game. Silently he and Remus made their way down towards the Great Hall, both slightly unnerved by the emptiness of the corridors. James was exiting the Great Hall as they reached the Entrance Hall, a piece of toast in his mouth. Taking it out he waved at them.

"Come and see me play okay?" He asked and they agreed they would.

"Quidditch really does a number on your nerves." Sirius noted and Remus nodded.

"He needs some chocolate." He stated firmly and Sirius couldn't help but laugh again. Remus felt a smile on his lips at the sound. Though Sirius laughed at a lot of things that happened around Hogwarts and Remus wasn't the only person who could make him laugh whenever Remus knew it was something he had said that made Sirius make such a beautiful sound it made his heart lighter and almost made him grab Sirius and kiss him right then and there.  
><em>Sirius is just so beautiful, I bet all the girls in here want to kiss him right now as well and the worst part is Sirius would probably kiss a lot of them as well…but he wouldn't kiss me. I guess it's natural, he is perfect in every way<em>, Remus thought as they took their seats at the table and took some food, blushing when Sirius' hand brushed against his.

"Are you okay Remus?" Sirius inquired, staring in concern at his extremely red friend. _Could it be he's blushing because we touched?_ Sirius asked himself and smiled despite himself. Remus nodded but Sirius did not believe him. Cautiously he let his hand brush against Remus' again as he took the jug of Pumpkin juice that was resting next to his friend and watched as Remus blushed again. _I knew James had to be telling me the truth. Well then, screw the holidays, they're too far away and I want Remus to know how I feel right now. I want to take a chance, I'm sick of being too scared encase he hates me for admitting it to him._  
>"I need to talk to you Remus." Sirius blurted out, taking the spur of the moment feeling that was bubbling in his chest and grabbed Remus' wrist to pull him out of the Great Hall. There was a side room that usually served as a broom cupboard but Sirius guessed it would have to do and pushed Remus into it, locking the door once they were both inside. It was quite cramped but Sirius still managed to pull out his wand, balance it next to them and whisper "Lumos."<br>"I need to tell you something Remus." He exclaimed a little louder than was needed and blushed in the darkness. Remus felt his heartbeat quicken at those words, _is he going to tell me that he loves me?_

"Go on then, Sirius." He pushed with breathy words. Sirius took a deep breath.

"I…well over the last few years my…feelings for a certain person have…developed into a feeling stronger than friendship." He began, grimacing inside at how cheesy that first sentence had sounded, but gritted his teeth and continued regardless.  
>"Well these feelings are love…you know. And the person who I love is amazing in near enough every way. He's clever," Here Remus smiled widely, for Sirius had indeed say 'he,' "has near enough endless patience accompanied by a…beautiful smile. He's able to deal with all the stupid things that his friends do. He's got the most radiant…um…well…maybe…no…let's just say coloured eyes I've ever seen and soft hair. He doesn't think extremely highly of himself because he's got a problem that occurs once a month," Sirius paused here to offer Remus a smile, "But he doesn't realise that it's that problem, along with so much more, that makes me love him like I do, because he can deal with such pain and torture and would never think of subjecting anybody to such horror. He's brave and true, and honest…and…everything I could ever wish to be...and no matter how many faults he thinks he can find in himself I will love all of him, always. He's special and beautiful," Sirius was conscious of how many times he had repeated that word but he couldn't help it, "Somehow he can put up with me even when I'm moping or raging or off snogging random girls…and he's accepting of everybody." Taking another deep breath Sirius made himself ready to say the little line of admittance he was sure Remus was waiting for, even though it was obvious who he was talking about now, and took Remus' hands.<br>"I love you Remus."

During Sirius' speech it felt like a bubble had appeared in Remus' chest and grown with every compliment that Sirius had given him and all his thoughts had crashed. He has assumed that is Sirius had wanted to admit his love it would have been blunt and to the point, like everything else that Sirius usually said, not completely full of all his feelings and thoughts. _Does he really see me like that?_ He asked himself, _Am I really like that?_ Looking up into Sirius' eyes Remus noticed that there was fear nestled in them. It was then that he realised they had been stood in silence for a while now while he had been thinking about what Sirius had said and the other boy was nervous to know what Remus thought of his confession. Words couldn't come to him to match what Sirius had said, even though he had countless praises he could have given his friend in any other situation so he moved closer, pressing up to him in the confined space and kissed him. When he pulled back Sirius was blushing.

"So I'm assuming this means you love me too?" He asked quietly and Remus nodded. Sirius' answer to that was to pull Remus' lips back to his and passionately seal them together, his arms winding around Remus' waist gently. Their tongues clashed as Sirius desperately sought for more contact, pulling his arms back just to slip them beneath Remus' robe and gently work to pull his shirt from his pants. When they were free Sirius slid his hands under his shirt and tenderly caressed Remus' chest, finding the smaller boy's nipples already perked. A gasp escaped Remus' mouth and mingled with the kiss as Sirius played with him, fisting his hands into Sirius' robes and burying his head into the crook of Sirius' neck, breaking their kiss. Sirius let his fingers slide over every part of Remus' skin, eliciting more moans and gasps from him.

"Sirius…" Remus moaned and Sirius felt a shiver go through him.  
>"No Sirius I need to say something." Remus gasped out and Sirius pulled back as far as he could to allow the boy some room to speak.<br>"We're going to miss James playing." Remus finally said and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I think I'd much rather be doing this." He admitted, his hands still under Remus' shirt.

"Yes but we did promise." Remus denied and Sirius nodded, slipping his hands free and watching as Remus sorted out his clothes with longing. Luckily there was no one in the hall when they both scurried from the broom cupboard and out of the front doors.

"I'm hungry." Sirius complained as they made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Remus rummaged about his pocket and drew out a rectangle of foil. Sirius felt laughter in his throat but swallowed it down and took the piece of chocolate that Remus offered him with thanks.

James was on the pitch already in the air when they arrived and took their places in the stands, finding Peter sat there eating some food he had taken from the Great Hall. Sirius stole two pieces of toast from him and offered one to Remus who took it gratefully. James' eyes scanned the small crowd and noticed how Remus held up a piece of toast to Sirius' mouth and Sirius took a bite from it. _They're feeding each other?_ he wondered, _and they're late…did one of them make a move?_

"James!" The captain of the team yelled at him.

"What?" He called back.

"Pay attention."

Sirius and Remus laughed where they were sat as James got told off and finished off each other's bits of toast. No one had noticed their antics, which both were glad for, not sure how it would be received by the majority.

"How long have you felt like this Sirius?" Remus asked quietly as the try-outs commenced.

"A few years, since second year really, when we found out about…you know." Sirius replied just as quietly as a few Gryffindor girls moved past them. One of them paused and turned to Sirius.

"Hey Sirius." She called, hitching up her skirt to show off more of her legs as Sirius and Remus glanced at her.

"Yeah?" Sirius asked.

"Do you want to sneak behind the broom shed with me when this is over?" She inquired, batting her eyelids. Remus felt his heart sink slightly.

"Nah I've got other things planned with my friends." Sirius replied breezily, turning back to watch James play. The girl moved off with tears in her eyes, evidently affronted.

"Sirius…" Remus started.

"What? I just told you I love you and you think I'm going to go off with some random person?" Sirius asked, his voice containing a hint of anger and Remus shook his head.

"No no, I was going to say, I love you."

Sirius smiled, "I love you too Moony." Leaning in they shared a quick kiss that no one saw, except for James. _It's about bloody time!_ he thought happily as he took the quaffle from one of the trying chasers and put it through the hoop. Sirius and Remus had no idea he had noticed, too busy with each other in the stands when nobody was looking, their hands joined between them.

When James had finished with the tryouts and the team had been selected he was free to join his friends again, noting the way Sirius and Remus stood closer together than they normally did and barely hiding his smile of satisfaction. Instead he opted to ask why they were late.

"Sirius had something he wanted to say so we took a little time." Remus said slowly.

"What did he say?" James inquired.

"I told him how I felt about him." Sirius answered boldly, causing Remus and Peter to stare at him.  
>"I told Remus that I love him and he said he loved me too." Sirius continued. Silence met his words and Remus hoped the reception to this news wasn't terrible.<p>

"It's about time!" James exclaimed, pulling them both into a hug. Both of them blinked.

"James?"

"Well I've been dropping some pretty heavy hints, over the summer and for the whole of this week, I mean you'd both have to be thick to realise that you weren't in love with each other!" James explained and smiled.

"So you're okay with this?" Sirius inquired.

"Yeah I'm okay with it; I knew it was going to happen eventually." James agreed before all of them turned to Peter, who was still staring at Sirius.

"You okay Peter?" Remus asked.

"I…this is big news guys." Peter replied, his voice even. Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance.

"Very big news." Sirius agreed.

"Do you think it is wrong Peter?" Remus asked and was relieved when Peter shook his head.

"It's just big news, I'm glad you guys are happy." At that Sirius grabbed Remus' waist and twirled round with him before kissing him gently on the lips.

"Very happy indeed." He confirmed.

* * *

><p>The second chapter in my Marauders Era fic<p>

So rate and review please ^^


	3. The Plan

**Fandom: **Harry Potter Marauders Era  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Sirius & Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Professor Sprout.  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Severus/Regulus, Sirius/Remus, implied Lily/James

**Genre:** Humour, Romance  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Evil prank playing, sexual activity, yaoi

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me, sadly.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: The Marauders are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts but all is not well this year. Still up for their moonlight strolls with their favourite werewolf the Marauders must deal with their NEWTs, a new foe that has it in for them and somebody who seems a little more interested in them than before. Things are changing within the comfortable walls they had built for themselves with their friendship, will they manage to keep their bonds strong.

* * *

><p>Keeping their relationship secret from the rest of the school was a lot harder than either of them expected. Remus, who was used to hiding secrets, did better than Sirius, who wanted to be touching Remus 247, which evidently created problems for the whole, keeping a secret thing. Sirius usually let his hormones take control, which led to frequent detours during class time to help control him. James had taken to helping them a lot, giving reasons for their disappearances and even Peter used the map to locate free classrooms for them. Remus allowed Sirius to do as he pleased, unless it cut into lesson time for too long. Even so, despite their frequent escapades, they had refrained from having sex. Despite their attempts to keep it a secret Remus had also asked to be able to inform one other person, Lily, who he acted as prefect with.

"You certainly look happy this morning." She mentioned as Remus took a seat next to her at the beginning of their Divination lesson.

"Ah...um...yeah." Remus stuttered, blushing lightly as he pulled his books from his bag.

"Where's Black?" Lily asked as their Professor moved about the room, handing back the essays they had been set in their first lesson for him.

"I don't know. We usually leave the classroom just a few minutes apart so it doesn't look too suspicious and I usually leave before him because I'm quicker at getting ready but he's never usually this slow." Remus replied worriedly, casting an eye around to see if Sirius was sneaking in while their Professor was busy.

"I bet he's off pleasuring himself somewhere." Lily sighed, taking her essay graciously and smiling at the mark.

"Lily!" Remus gasped as he took his with shaking hands. A comment like that about Sirius usually made him laugh, but in front of their teacher...Remus felt extremely embarrassed. Apparently their teacher did not notice, or acknowledge, what Lily had said and moved on from them.

"What?" She inquired when he had gone.

"I...Sirius wouldn't miss a lesson just for that alone." Remus defended his lover, though he didn't entirely believe what he had said. He was also wondering where Sirius had disappeared to and was rather worried. The lesson passed in a haze and as soon as they were dismissed Remus jammed his book into his bag, leapt up and hurried off to the Gryffindor common room to see if Sirius was there. He knew if he turned up red faced and panting and Sirius was there the dark haired teen would laugh at him, but Remus couldn't help the fact he was terrified that something was wrong with Sirius.

"Remus! Where have you been?" James snapped at him as soon as he was through the portrait hole.

"I...in my lesson why?" Remus asked quickly.

"Sirius is in the Hospital Wing. He fainted this morning on the way to lesson and fell down a flight of stairs." James gushed as he took Remus by the arm and dragged him from the common room and through the corridors towards the Hospital Wing. Remus' heart had skipped a beat when James had first told him and his breath was coming in short bursts, partly from the fact he had been rushing around a lot and partly because he was scared for Sirius. His mind jammed to a halt when he saw Sirius lying in one of the beds in the Wing, Peter sat next to him.

"Sirius!" He cried and ran over to him.

"Remus." Sirius replied with a smile, moving around a little so he could view Remus properly. Not that it matter as Remus threw his arms around Sirius' neck the moment he reached him, obscuring his vision of James' smirk.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner but I had no idea!" Remus apologised as he clung to Sirius.

"Don't apologise Remus, I understand." Sirius gasped, attempting to push Remus off him.

"Do you remember what happened?" Remus inquired, retracting his arms from Sirius' neck to grab his hand instead.

"I...I followed you out of the classroom and made sure that it was all in order. I walked up the stairs, loitering because it was Divination and well...I kind of got really dizzy and I fell over. Next thing I know I'm in here and James was poking me." Sirius explained slowly, yawning as he did so.

"What?" James asked when Remus glared at him reproachfully.

"Your best friend was lying unconscious in a hospital bed and you decide to poke him awake?" Remus inquired snappily and James smiled sheepishly. Sirius laughed.

"I'm okay." He reassured Remus and tugged at his hand to regain Remus' attention. Remus turned back to him straight away and his expression softened.

"Come on Pete, we'll leave these two lovebirds alone." James sighed, beckoning to the smallest Marauder and heading to the door.  
>"Hurry up and get out of here Padfoot, we've got pranks to pull." He added as an afterthought. Sirius saluted James from his bed as he left. As soon as their friends were gone Remus pulled Sirius into a kiss, wrapping his arms around him tightly.<p>

"Are you really okay?" Remus asked and Sirius chuckled.

"Apart from your second choke hold of the day Remus then yes I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey did a wonderful job of fixing me up." Sirius joked and Remus jerked backwards to give him some room.

"Padfoot...do you think somebody hexed you and made you faint?" Remus asked slowly. Sirius raised a slender eyebrow.  
>"Well think about," Remus said in defence to Sirius' mocking gesture, "Regulus was saying that time that he wanted revenge on James."<p>

"Last time I checked my names was Sirius Orion Black, not James Potter." Sirius pointed out.

"Still, what if Reg wants to see how much he can get to James by hurting his friends?" Remus suggested, squeaking in surprise when Sirius pulled him quickly into a tight hug.

"If I find any evidence it was Reg, or Snape, then I'll get him back and make sure he can't test his theory on you or Peter. If not, well perhaps it was just a dizzy spell." Sirius said simply but Remus could not shake the feeling that there was something working against all four of the Marauders.  
>"Got any chocolate?" Sirius asked suddenly.<p>

"Wha?...Oh yes I do." Sirius smiled as Remus fumbled for the packet of chocolate he kept on him at all times, taking it gently from him and breaking off a piece. This he pressed to Remus' lips and his smile widened when the light haired boy took it into his mouth. Sirius broke off another piece for himself before handing the packet back to Remus. Remus returned it to his pocket and pounced on Sirius.

"It'll all be okay Moony." Sirius murmured, and Remus felt a little better instantly just by Sirius' words. Cuddling closer he lay his head on Sirius' chest, content to listen to his heart beat for as long as he could before his next lesson.

"Will Sirius be okay?" Peter asked as he and James turned onto another corridor.

"With a lover like Remus he'll be so doped up on chocolate that he won't feel a thing." James laughed as they fought through a crowded corridor. Snape, who had been sitting at a window staring out of it absently froze and turned his head towards the place where James and Peter had just been standing. _Lovers, they're already together! I have to tell Reg_ He thought frantically and jumped from his seat, fighting through the crowds towards the dungeons. Reg would be in Potions at the moment and Snape's thoughts raced to find a reason to get Regulus out of his lesson. _Potter came from the Hospital Wing and Pettigrew was asking to see if Black was okay…so something happened to him. I can use that, _Snape decided and he carried on running down to the dungeons. Slughorn was talking as Snape knocked and entered and he did not look impressed that it was Snape who was interrupting his lesson. However he silenced himself to allow Snape to speak. From the back of the classroom Regulus raised an eyebrow at him but Snape did not allow his facial expression to give anything away.

"I'm sorry for the interruption Professor I was sent to collect Regulus Black. His brother, Sirius Black, is in the Hospital Wing after an accident." Snape lied smoothly to his professor and Reg smirked at him, he obviously didn't believe him.

"That's such a shame, poor Sirius. Alright then Regulus, pack up your things and off you go. Give me best to Sirius for me." Slughorn accepted Snape's words without even asking for proof such as a note and Regulus slowly packed his bag, removed the potion from his cauldron and walked over to Snape, leaving the dungeon room before him.

"Is Sirius really in the Hospital Wing?" He inquired as soon as the door to Slughorn's room was shut.

"Yeah, I heard Pettigrew and Potter discussing it, but I've got better news than that." Snape rushed through his words and Reg raised a thin eyebrow again at Severus' enthusiasm. Snape ignored the look.  
>"Sirius and Lupin are already lovers."<br>Regulus' eyes widened and several emotions passed over his face at once, shock, delight and then suspicion.

"How do you know?" He inquired.

"Heard Potter saying that too." Snape smirked.

"This is perfect. I have a brilliant plan as well." Reg laughed before pausing in his speech, both boys had heard footsteps heading towards them. Snape took Reg's arm and pulled him a little down the corridor to where there was a shadowed alcove. Reg wormed his way into Snape's arms before continuing.  
>"We'll do it before Christmas break. We'll charm Sirius so he ends up in the Hospital Wing, again. The night he gets out, which will just happen to be the night before the students go home for the holidays, we'll charm Potter so that he makes a move on Lupin. Sirius is going to walk in on them. Instead of coming to see him out of the Hospital Wing his best friend and lover are having a make-out session in the dormitory. Plus Potter always leaves for the Christmas holidays, so they'll have plenty of time to work up a hatred for each other, Sirius has major anger issues so it shouldn't take him too long." As he spoke Reg had been ticking things off on his fingers to make sure he got them all and Snape smiled at him.<p>

"It is a brilliant plan," He praised and Regulus went on his tiptoes to kiss him.

"Thank you." He whispered against his lips, "But if it weren't for your information I'd never have been able to form it so perfectly." At the word _perfectly _Reg allowed his hand to trail down Snape's spine to hook his fingers onto a belt loop. Snape blushed.

"Mm…probably not." He murmured, trying hard not to react to the feeling of having Regulus so pressed up against him, his hot breath tickling his cheek.

"Well Sev, I have a free now since I don't really want to go and see Sirius in the Hospital Wing and I can't go back to lesson. I have another brilliant plan to pass the time." Reg whispered seductively, wrapping his arms around Snape's neck and locking eyes with him. Snape smiled.

Together they snuck back into the Slytherin common room which was, thankfully, empty. Regulus used this as an excuse to lock their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss, pushing Snape down onto one of the green leather arm chairs and straddling him while they kissed. Snape pulled Reg's shirt from his pants and slid his hands over his lover's warm skin, making him shiver slightly and press closer to him. When they broke the kiss for air Regulus turned his mouth to the side and kissed his way down Severus' neck, nipping gently at the sensitive spot that rested in the nape, making Snape moan and tilt his head to the side to allow Reg to have more access. If not for the fact that they heard footsteps heading towards the hidden entrance to their common room and the voices of some seventh year Slytherin outside the door Snape would probably have taken Regulus right then and there. Quickly they leapt to their feet and ran up the stairs, heading for Regulus' dormitory as it was less likely for anyone to be in it.

Regulus pointed his wand at the door and used a non-verbal spell to block out any sounds the two boys would make so that anyone who was in the Slytherin common room or dormitories would not hear them. He also locked the door before turning back to Snape, who was standing with his back to Regulus, staring absently from the window as he messed with his tie, slightly nervous. He and Reg had done this many times, and not always on a bed, so he had nothing to be nervous about, Reg let him take control and he always enjoyed himself. It was probably the fear that they would be caught. Somehow that made Regulus more turned on than anything, but it made Snape extremely nervous. Taking advantage of the fact that Snape wasn't looking at him Reg undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt half way down, showing off a teasing amount of his skin. He used his wand to draw the curtains tightly across the windows, bathing the room in a light darkness.

Snape turned back to him and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Reg stood there with his shirt half undone. Swallowing his fear Snape smirked and beckoned to Reg who sauntered over, flicking a lock of long, dark hair over his shoulders and sinking to his knees in front of Snape. Severus looked down on him with a seductive smile playing about his lips and sank down to a seat on Regulus' bed, using his foot to tilt Reg's head to look at him. It was a game they always played during their passion, Regulus was the submissive servant and Snape the cruel, sometimes sadistic, master, though they never actually hurt each other, at least not too much. Reaching forward Snape prised Regulus' mouth open and forced his fingers into it. The feeling of having Reg suck his digits made Snape shiver in pleasure and he grabbed the collar of Regulus' shirt and pulled him into a rather forceful kiss. Knelt between Severus' knees Reg let his hands slip down to gently stroke at his lover's growing member, drawing another moan from Snape, which melted into the kiss. They did not have a lot of time for proper foreplay, both of them knew that, but neither of them were in any hurry either. Snape moved his hands to where Reg's were and freed his member from his pants. Neither of them spoke, the silent communication of looks was enough to tell Regulus what it was that Snape desired and his lips came down on Severus' member with such a gentle kiss that Severus had to curl his hands into tight fists to stop himself from pushing Regulus down so he had the whole thing in his mouth. He didn't need to use his hands; Regulus had every intention of completely pleasuring Snape, with both hands and mouth. Regulus' bed sheets crumpled under Snape's grip as Regulus slowly kissed down Snape's shaft, the black haired boy biting his lips forcefully to stop a moan from coming out. Reg always played this game with him, teasingly pleasuring him to try and elicit a moan from Snape before he allowed Snape to have his way. Snape could hold out through the teasing, it was when Regulus got bored that Snape could no longer hold back.

Grey eyes flicked up to view the pure passion etched into Snape's face and lips curled up into a beautiful smile. Snape did not notice Reg staring at him so Regulus turned his attention back to his member, taking it all into his mouth and grazing his teeth up it to the tip, nipping at the small slit. Snape gasped out loud and bunched his hands into fists in Regulus' hair, forcing him right down to the base of his shaft. Choking for a moment Reg forced himself up off of Snape.

"We don't…have much…time." He panted, a small amount of saliva on the edge of his mouth. Snape pulled him forward and licked it away.

"I know." He murmured in reply and smiled. He drew Reg from the floor and unbuttoned the rest of Reg's shirt, sliding it from his shoulders and ridding Regulus of the rest of his clothes so he was spread naked on the bed before him. Regulus watched as Snape shed his own clothes as well and gently positioned himself over Reg's body, mixing their skin and making Reg moan longingly. There was lube resting on Regulus' bedside table which Snape reached for and covered his hand in it. Finger's sufficiently coated Snape moved them down to Regulus' entrance and poked it. Reg twitched.

"Don't tease me!" He snapped and Snape smirked, after the teasing Reg put him through. He pushed his fingers into Reg's entrance and gently wriggled them around, making Reg squirm under him. Snape smiled and brought his lips to Reg's stomach as he moved his fingers around inside him. When he thought Regulus was properly stretched and lubricated Snape retracted his fingers and moved into position. Regulus shuffled forward a little bit so Snape's member was poking his hole and placed his legs over Snape's shoulders to support himself.

Snape let his lubricated fingers stroke his own shaft to cover it slickly so he would not hurt Regulus upon entry. He could tell by the impatient look in Reg's eyes that the boy was not considering the pain and was more bothered by the fact that he was lay there and extremely horny. Positioning himself properly Snape slid slowly into Regulus' tight passage, gripping the bed sheets tightly as he did so to make sure he did not bruise Regulus in a painful way. Regulus cried out, his nails digging into the back of Snape's hands as he bunched them into fists. Giving him a moment to adjust to the feeling of having someone inside him, though it was not their first time, Snape waited until Reg's eyes had reopened and his expression clearly told him to move. Obeying Snape pulled back out nearly all the way Snape pushed back in again, angling himself so that he hit Regulus' sweet spot straight away, making him scream. Snape could not hold back his own moans, cries and mutters as he paced himself against Reg, time and time again forcing Reg to scream his name, to arch his back off the bed for more pleasure. Snape, having received the pleasure of having Regulus suckle him before they had started, felt his own climax coming upon him and this time he did grip Regulus' hips with a bruising force as he erupted inside him, forcing himself to keep up his pace to allow Regulus the chance to cum as well, splattering both their chests. Snape gently pulled himself out and lay down next to Regulus, rolling over and allowing him to climb on top of him and snuggle into him. Unsure of how much time had passed Reg lifted his head a little to focus on Snape.

"What time is it?" He asked breathily, putting his head back on Snape's chest as he laced their fingers together. Snape glanced lazily at the watch he had deposited on Reg's bedside table, starting when he saw the time.

"We're going to be late for our next lesson." He exclaimed and Reg, who would have rather stayed in bed with Severus then go to his next lesson, forced himself to climb off Snape and allowed for his lover to search for his clothes. His next lesson, Herbology, was not interesting in the slightest, but it was important for Snape to attend his lessons and pass the few NEWTs that were tested in the sixth year.

"What is your next lesson?" He inquired as Snape pulled his pants on with quick, nimble fingers.

"Arithmancy." Snape replied quickly. Regulus slowly climbed from the bed and retrieved his own pants, pulling them on as Snape's hands flew, buttoning his shirt and fastening their emerald dotted tie in one fluid movement.

"Is it fun?" Reg asked. Snape paused.

"It used to be." He whispered, turning from Reg as he fastened his cloak around his shoulders and smoothed it out. Regulus guessed what he meant immediately.

"Evans?"

"Lily." Snape corrected him automatically and behind his back Regulus rolled his eyes as he fastened his shirt slowly.

"Just focus on the lesson Sev, ignore her." He advised and Snape smiled. Everything was so simple with Reg, every single problem had a simple solution.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"You go on without me, it's less suspicious that way anyway." Reg replied, having only just buttoned his shirt and making a start on his tie. Slinging his bag over his shoulder Snape hurried from the dungeons towards his Arithmancy classroom, careful to avoid the more crowded corridors. The door came into sight and Snape reached it just as Remus and Lily did. Snape stepped back to allow them to entire before him. Lily did not send him a glance but Remus gave him an odd stare, like he was searching for something. Snape took pleasure in the distinct lack of Sirius Black in the room.

"Did you find out where Black was?" Lily inquired as she took Sirius' normal place next to Remus. Snape sat alone.

"Yeah, he fainted on the way to lesson and is in the Hospital Wing." Remus replied.

"Been working him too hard Remus?" Lily asked cheekily, sweeping her long, red hair from across her face as Remus blushed.

"Lily." He chastised her, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard. It did not appear to be so but Remus could not be completely sure.

"What? Black has quite a bit of stamina but you must really go at it." Lily giggled quietly as the lesson began.

"Lily please!" Remus begged, "That's not the reason at all. He fell down the stairs because he felt dizzy. Sirius has no issues with what we do, one session of kissing would not do that to him."

"So why?" Lily asked, absently messing with her quill. Shooting a glance at Snape to make sure he couldn't hear Remus bent closer to Lily.

"We overheard Snape discussing with Regulus Black on how to get revenge on James." He whispered, "I think Snape charmed Sirius while he was heading to lesson, to get at James through his friends."

"He'd go that far? What does he want revenge for?" Lily asked curiously. Remus cast another nervous look around.

"He thinks it's James' fault that he called you a…well that he addressed you in such a way last summer. Well from what I heard he admitted it was his fault but Regulus was reminded him that James, and Sirius to an extent, had wound him up beforehand." Remus admitted.

"That little rat!" Lily hissed, shooting a dark look at Snape. "It was his own entire fault for even daring to use such an expression, and though I do think someone should do something about James Potter it doesn't seem right, what they're doing."

"You don't know what they're doing." Remus pointed out.

"Do you?" Lily asked.

"No." Remus admitted, "But it can't be nice."

Both fell silent as the lesson progressed, Remus' thoughts focussing on Sirius lay in the Hospital Wing all alone, worry etched in his face. Lily did not speak again for about ten minutes, jotting down notes that the teacher was charming onto the board.

"Hey Remus," She began after a while but Remus, too focused on his thoughts about Sirius, did not respond.  
>"Remus!" She whispered, poking him.<p>

"Eh? Sorry Lily did you want something?" Remus asked.

"Yeah it's about Potter." Lily said.

"James? Okay." Remus was sure whatever it was couldn't be good but he was willing to hear what she wanted.

"Well I was just wondering if he was single." Lily blurted out quietly and Remus started.

"S-single?" He gasped.

"Yeah. A friend of mine is intrigued by him, no idea why. She wants to know if he's single." Lily replied airily.

"Well yeah, he is." Remus admitted, leaving out the fact that he had eyes only for Lily, though he wasn't entirely convinced about what Lily had told him.

"I'll let her know." Lily smiled and Remus decided not to push it, he knew Lily had a fiery temper which was best not to bring out in the middle of class.  
>"Tell Black to get out of the Hospital Wing soon, you're too distracted to talk to properly." Lily added. The rest of the lesson passed in silence but Remus' thoughts were now racing. Was Lily really asking for a friend or was she asking for herself? Should he tell James? Should he tell Sirius? Lily answered for him.<p>

"Under no circumstances must Potter find out about what I asked except from my friend." She snapped and Remus nodded quickly. Snape caught what Lily said and his mind wondered what she could be talking about. His thoughts wandered slowly back to Reg and he started to wonder if he had made it to his lesson on time.

-1 hour previously-

Regulus watched Snape rush from the room and sighed, speeding up himself so that he wouldn't get in too much trouble for being late. Once he was dressed he followed in Snape's footsteps, down the stairs, through the common room and running through the somewhat empty castle. By the time he reached Herbology he was breathless and flushed.

"It's nice of you to finally join us Mr. Black." Professor Sprout said but Reg ignored her and went off the find his seat.  
>"As I was saying this plant here is very deadly, just a tiny amount can knock somebody out for hours."<p>

Regulus' head snapped up and he looked down at the small plants that were in front of him. The leaves were thick and closely set together, if he took one from the second layer it would not be noticeable. It would also be a safer option. If he attacked Sirius and the blame was pointed at him there were countless spells they could use to draw out the last spell he had cast from his wand and prove it was him. With this plant using a spell wasn't necessary. His hand shot into the air. Professor Sprout nodded, allowing Reg to speak.

"Professor how much of this plant would be needed to kill a person?" He asked. Professor Sprout rose an eyebrow but Regulus didn't care what it sounded like.

"One leaf is deadly. A quarter of a leaf would knock someone out, any more than that would kill them." She replied nevertheless. Reg smiled to himself. As Sprout went on about the qualities of this plant Reg's thoughts turned to the Marauders and Lily Evans. If it weren't for her falling out with Snape their relationship would not be what it was. He had been there for Snape when no one else had been, the fact that he still had Snape brought Reg more pleasure than could be guessed, his life was tragic, in his eyes, and Severus was that little ray of light he needed sometimes.

Since he was thinking so hard Regulus missed Professor Sprout's instructions to them, so he pulled out a scrap of parchment and scribbled the qualities of the plant down quickly. Following what the other students in his class were doing Reg caught on quickly to what they were supposed to be doing, donning on the protective gear quickly.

-Present-

The Gryffindor common room was not the same without Sirius, the other Marauders noticed as they gathered in there in the early evening. Peter seemed engrossed in the essay Slughorn had set them so Remus scooted over to James to question him on whether Lily's 'friend' had spoken to him yet.

"James." He began, but when James turned his attention to him Remus knew he'd feel guilty if he asked and James had not spoken to anyone.

"What is it Moony?" James pushed. Remus quickly thought of an excuse.

"Can I borrow your invisibility cloak tonight to visit Sirius?" It seemed like a good enough reason to Remus and he was relieved when James did not question him.

"Sure. Honestly can anything separate you two?" James inquired, causing Remus to giggle.

"No force on Earth." He joked. James shook his head but laughed in agreement.

"Give him my best." He yawned, extracting a long roll of parchment from his bag and dipping his quill into Peter's inkpot. Peter was too distracted to notice.

"I will." Remus found that he started checking the time a lot more after he made the decision to visit Sirius so by the time two hours had passed and it was ten o'clock he was so fidgety that he was shaking the table that Peter and James were leaning on.

"Careful Moony." James warned him, "Why don't you just go now?"

"Madam Pomfrey goes to bed at eleven and she's quite a light sleeper so I need it to be at least twelve or she'll know that I'm there." Remus explained and James shook his head again, Remus had thought this out too well. The minutes ticked by and Remus grew more and more agitated, even when he tried to distract himself. Taking to staring at the dot labelled _Sirius Black _on the Marauders Map when James and Peter finished their essay and decided to go to bed it was twelve. Remus waited nervously for James to hand him the cloak, wrapping it around himself quickly as soon as he had it and hurrying off to the Hospital Wing.

Sirius was a still form, pale against the darkness and Remus, who assumed he was asleep, decided he should go back and go to bed. He stepped backwards but knocked into a bedside table, making quite a noise. Remus held his breath, his invisible form facing away from where Madam Pomfrey and Sirius were. Going to take another step and escape as quickly as possible Sirius' chilling whisper and stopped quickly.

"I can guess your position from the noise you just made. Show yourself." The dark haired boy whispered and Remus did not need to see him to know Sirius was pointing his wand right at him. With a deep breath he turned round. Sirius was crouched on his bed, wand fixed on the point directly between Remus' eyes, cold grey eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
>"Show yourself!" Sirius snapped as loudly as he dared. Remus pulled the cloak down from his head and Sirius lowered his wand an inch.<p>

"It's okay Sirius it's really me." Remus reassured his lover. Being alone made Sirius paranoid and Remus was well aware of the small, random noises that occurred in the Hospital Wing. Sirius lowered his wand a little again but did not change his defensive stance. Remus freed himself of the cloak, reached into his pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate, offering it to Sirius. This instantly relaxed him and his handsome face split into a smile.

"You scared me." He said as a reason for his actions, "What are you doing here?"

"I was thinking about you all alone in here and I wanted to see you." Remus replied softly, climbing into Sirius' bed and lying down next to him. Sirius drew him into his arms and kissed him.

"My ever considerate Moony." He chuckled and Remus blushed.

"Shush you." He muttered and Sirius patted his hair.

"I love you Remus." He admitted gently, drawing him into another short kiss. Remus smiled and lay his head on Sirius' chest.

"I love you too Siri." He murmured, seemingly unaware of how he had shortened Sirius' name.

"Siri?" Sirius inquired, causing Remus to blush again.

"I…um…" He stuttered over his words.

"So if I'm Siri can I call you Remmy?" Sirius asked in amusement which made Remus blush even deeper and avoid eye contact with Sirius.

"No it doesn't. It was a slip of the tongue, I'm tired." Remus finally defended himself and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle again.

"Maybe you should head back to the dormitory, I'll be fine here Remus." Sirius suggested but Remus faultered.  
>"Rem, you're tired and you'll be falling asleep in lessons if you don't go to bed. Madam Pomfrey said I'll be out of the Hospital Wing tomorrow, I'll be fine." Sirius reasoned with him and finally Remus nodded sleepily. He kissed Sirius as he climbed from the bed and groped around for the cloak.<p>

"Goodnight Sirius." He whispered.

"'Night Remus." Sirius replied quietly. As he made his way back towards the Gryffindor common room Remus' worried that someone had attacked Sirius had faded and the light haired Marauder felt that everything was going to be okay. Sinking into his four poster bed Remus closed his eyes and fell into a sleep full of dreams about Sirius. Outside a three-quarter moon shimmered.

* * *

><p>The third chapter ^^<p>

Will the Marauders remember it's the full moon soon? Or will they forget and leave Remus all alone? Wait for Chapter Four to find out.


	4. Last Minute Changes

**Fandom: **Harry Potter Marauders Era  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Sirius (Padfoot) & Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter (Prongs), Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail), Remus Lupin (Moony), Madam Pomfrey.

**Pairing:** Severus/Regulus, Sirius/Remus, implied Lily/James

**Genre:** Humour, Romance  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Evil prank playing, implied sexual activity, yaoi

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me, sadly.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: The Marauders are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts but all is not well this year. Still up for their moonlight strolls with their favourite werewolf the Marauders must deal with their NEWTs, a new foe that has it in for them and somebody who seems a little more interested in them than before. Things are changing within the comfortable walls they had built for themselves with their friendship, will they manage to keep their bonds strong.

* * *

><p>"Ow James, that was my foot!" Sirius complained quietly as he, James and Peter stumbled through the dewy grass as fast as they could while still keeping under the Invisibility Cloak toward the Whomping Willow. James muttered an apology, more preoccupied with shooting glances by at Hogwarts, certain windows in the school glittering with light. James was always afraid that somebody from the school would be watching them, and would be able to pierce through their invisibility. It had been a week or so since Sirius' little dizzy spell and a full moon was shining in a clear, dark sky. Remus was waiting for them to arrive and Sirius was impatient to get there.<p>

"Okay Peter, get to the knot." James whispered and the cloak fell limp as Peter disappeared from in front of them, transforming into a rat and slipping between the waving branches of the tree to press the knot at its trunk. Sirius pulled the cloak off himself and James and shoved it into the bag that he had brought with him, filled with supplies for Remus during the night and the morning after. The Whomping Willow was frozen so the Marauders hurried forward, Sirius getting to the hole faster than the other two and slipping into it, desperate to get to Remus. This was the first time he was going to spend the transformation with Remus as a lover and they had speculated whether Moony would recognise Padfoot's scent better now because of that. When James and Peter had slid down to the entrance of the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack, Sirius had already disappeared but his footsteps were clear in the slightly muddy floor. The two boys followed Sirius' footsteps up into the Shack, through the house, up the stairs and into the front bedroom where Sirius was crouching in front of Remus, who was curled in a corner.

"Hey Remus." Sirius was saying, his hands held out to Remus. The boy was in a lot of pain, it happened during every transformation and Sirius did not want to startle him or make him move when it would hurt him to do so. Remus raised his head and slowly reached his hands to Sirius. His hands were shaking and his skin clammy, his face had a slight greyish hue to it and his eyes had dark bags under them. He did not look well and Sirius felt his heart beat a little faster in worry. Leaning forward he hugged him gently, careful not to jar him or hurt him.

"Sirius…I'm scared." Remus' voice trembled and Sirius tightened the hug slightly. Remus' arms slid around his back and he gripped Sirius' robes tightly, trying to quell the obvious shaking in his limbs and hide his tears.  
>"Don't watch." He begged. Sirius blinked. They had discussed whether Sirius could watch the transformation now the day before but Remus hadn't really had an argument against it, he had felt too ill to fight with Sirius at the time. Sirius' arguments for witnessing the transformation seemed petty but Remus understood what Sirius meant.<p>

"I want to know what it is exactly you go through Remus…so you can cry to me, so you know that somebody at least…I can't say understands because I don't…but knows the pain, has seen it, can at least relate to it a little bit. No matter what I see Remus I will always think you're beautiful." Sirius whispered. James and Peter felt a little awkward stood in the doorway watching this scene, but they did not move away at all, not wanting to distract the two boys.

"It's really horrible Sirius." Remus sobbed into his lover's chest. Sirius held him as he cried and shook in his arms until his nails started digging into his back tighter than normal and Remus gasped in pain.  
>"Get back!" He cried, "Get back it's starting!" He screamed. Sirius, instead of moving away from Remus, kissed him gently on the mouth and for that moment Remus was calm and the pain seemed far away. Then Sirius was gone and it was Padfoot who was stood in front of him, calm grey eyes, the very image of Sirius', focused on Remus' face. Licking him once gently Padfoot scampered over to where James and Peter had been replaced by Prongs and Wormtail. Stood in front of them as both of them covered their eyes to avoid the transformation Padfoot fixed his eyes on where Remus was convulsing, his fingers tearing at the clasps on his robes, tearing them from his body and throwing them aside. This was the first time any of the Marauders had ever witnessed this transformation.<p>

Remus very suddenly jerked to his feet but his back was arched in a strange way, his spine jutting out as Remus screamed and cried, scratching at his face and arms in an attempt to remove all his clothes and allow the wolf to come out. His eyes were the first thing to change. They moved from a honey tinted brown to the yellow coloured, slit pupil of a wolf, the change happening again and again until they fixed on the latter. A mixture of a howl and a scream escaped from Remus' lips as his cheekbones started to extend, cracking and popping out of shape, becoming more snout like and his teeth ripped through his gums, becoming fangs capable of tearing through muscle and flesh and leaving grooves on bone. At the same time as his face was morphing his arms and legs were extending with the same kind of noises, sickening crunches as bones moved against their natural set, becoming more wolf like, more elongated and his hands and feet became paws, each with four extremely sharp claws extended, ready to rip away clothe and skin for a fix of human blood. Remus' back arch again, and another noise escaped him, this time a pure howl. Fur suddenly sprouted from his skin, growing at a somewhat alarming rate until it covered his entire body, the same colour as his hair but thicker and courser, the hair of a fully grown, matured and violent werewolf. Padfoot knew he could have dealt with the mere physical transformation, just watching it, but the noises that had accompanied it, especially the screaming, chilled him. He was trembling now, and whining a little bit as well. A snarl reached his ears from across the room. Moony had taken control, curled in a little ball much like Remus had been when it had first started, waiting for the pain to subside.

Padfoot took a tentative step forward, barking to alert Prongs and Wormtail to the fact that Moony was now the one in control and they could look now. Moony stretched to his full length and height and growled at the three animals opposite him. Padfoot, or Sirius when he was not in his dog form, had always wondered how frightened James was when Moony first took control, as he was a stag, easy prey for a werewolf. Moony snarled again and Padfoot tensed, raising his hackles and growling back at the werewolf. Each of the Marauders knew that it was risky for them to be there; that Moony could attack them at any time and the only one could really protect them was Padfoot. Prongs had his horns, but there was a real risk that Moony could wound him and then proceed to eat him, Padfoot was there ace card when it came to keeping Moony properly in check. Moony took a step forward and Padfoot bounded across the room, going down on his front paws in front of Moony to show submission and Moony stopped his advance to sniff at Sirius. Another low growl escaped is throat, so Padfoot rolled over and exposed his belly, taking another risk. Moony sniffed at him again, then licked him. Padfoot barked quietly and waited until Moony nosed him to symbolise that he wanted him to stand up. Climbing to his feet Padfoot licked Moony back and barked loudly. Moony howled.

Prongs came forward, as Wormtail had climbed up into his horns when Moony had started growling. He butted Moony gently and Moony looked at him, then licked him as well. Padfoot yapped happily and bounded around the room. Moony began to whine after a while and moved over to the window, scratching at it. Padfoot looked at Prongs and tilted his head to the side, to ask him whether they could allow Moony outside. Prongs seemed to be considering it, he knew that Padfoot would love to go running around the grounds with Moony on the starlit night but he was worried that Moony would be hard to control, so shook his head. Padfoot whined lightly and padded over to Moony and gently bit his tail. Moony turned with a snarl and leapt on Padfoot. Padfoot fought back, play tackling Moony and prancing around the room tauntingly. Even though they had to stay within the walls of the Shrieking Shack the night was theirs.

The sun began to rise faster than the Marauders assumed it would, and they were gathered by the door again, waiting for Remus to turn back into himself. Sirius had decided that he would not watch the transformation back at some point during the night so when Remus' howls turned to whimpers and he began scratching at himself he closed his eyes and waited for the tell tale pants of Remus back as himself again. Once he heard those Sirius transformed to his human form and he hurried over to Remus, who was blooded and naked, grabbing the bag he had flung into one corner during the night and pulling some robes from it. They were his robes, too big for Remus, but he wrapped them around his lover anyway and pulled Remus into him.

"It's over; it's over for another month Remus." He muttered, lifting Remus up and carrying him over to the bed. James turned to Peter, as they had both turned back as well and smiled.

"Go and keep watch for Pomfrey as Wormtail okay? Don't fall asleep this time." He told his friend and Peter nodded vigorously and hurried off, leaving James to watch with a small smile as Sirius bundled Remus onto the dusty, broken bed and pile blankets on him.

"Really Sirius I'm fine." Remus muttered, though he did not complain when Sirius kept his arms around him, blankets and all.

"You're going to have to get used to it Remus, Sirius is too protective of you." James commented from the door, earning him a glare from Sirius.

"I don't mind that." Remus said softly and Sirius smiled.

"Pomfrey's coming!" Peter's cry came from down the stairs, even as he was hurrying up them to join his friends.

"She's early." Sirius said, panicked, "Or are we late. Oh god, James the invisibility cloak." He cried and kissed Remus once for good measure before scrambling over to his friends. They huddled together and stood as silently as they could, hoping that the cloak was covering all of them. Remus inspected them even as they heard Pomfrey entering the Shack and climbing the stairs. He nodded at them, letting them know they were completely hidden and then sat up to await Madam Pomfrey. When she entered she fussed over him and made sure none of his wounds were too deep.

"This is not your robe, Mr. Lupin." She commented when Remus clutched it to his chest to hide himself from her prying eyes. It was obviously too big for him and Remus sometimes had to curse Sirius' sentimentality, always wanting to dress Remus in his clothes whenever the boy was sick.

"I must have picked up Sirius' by accident on the way out. He won't mind, him and James mix clothes all the time." Remus lied and Sirius stifled a laugh behind his hand. James stood on his foot to keep him quiet as Madam Pomfrey helped Remus to stand and slowly guided him from the Shack, to the passage and out back across the grounds. It was always riskier for the Marauders to sneak in than to sneak out, but each time so far they had managed it. Once inside the castle and close to Gryffindor tower they could ditch the cloak, but there was the trouble of keeping all three of them covered.

Giving Pomfrey enough time to have Remus in the castle and towards the Hospital Wing the three remaining Marauders hurried through the Shack and into the grounds of the castle. The morning was crisp and clouds rolled across the skies slowly, blotting out the sun every now and then. There was a slight wind, but nothing that would trouble the Marauders in keeping the cloak about them. It was not so important that they weren't caught during the morning, students were allowed to wander round when it got light, so when they reached the castle doors and Sirius had complained for the fifth time it was too difficult for them to walk all the way to the tower James took the cloak from them and hid it under his robes.

"If it isn't my big brother." A voice called from the side of the entrance hall and the three turned to see Regulus stood by the entrance to the dungeons, his face slightly flushed as if he had been running. Sirius scowled.

"What do you want?" He asked. Reg and he had always had quite a close relationship and behind closed doors, when no one else was around, they were still quite close. Sirius knew it was hard for Reg at Hogwarts, with the shadow of Sirius hanging over him all the time but he was not completely sympathetic to his brother, especially as Reg showed alliances with the Death Eaters within Hogwarts' walls.

"I'm just wondering why you three are wandering around at such an early time, when your friend Remus was being escorted in by Madam Pomfrey. Shouldn't you be worrying over him?" Regulus asked. He had loitered their quietly after having woken, restless and bored, to see a bloodied Remus being helped in, wearing Sirius' robe, and taken by Madam Pomfrey towards the Hospital Wing. It was suspicious that Remus' three closest friends should appear only a few moments afterwards.

"We were out for a morning stroll." Peter stuttered. Sirius kicked him.

"It's none of your business what we do Reg, now go off and play with you Death Eater friends." He spat at his brother and started walking again. This was bad. Regulus was clever and Sirius would not put it past his brother to realise that the full moon had been last night and Remus looked tired and ill and make the connection.

"God damn it I wish I could shut him up permanently." He raged as they walked through Hogwarts towards Gryffindor Tower.

"But you can't Sirius, so ignore him." James sighed and pushed Sirius so that he carried on walking. Sirius rolled his eyes and hurried off to the tower to get a few hours of sleep before their lessons started for the day, James and Peter in tow.

Regulus watched them leaving and his mind was whirring. What he had just witnessed was really strange, and it was something that he felt he had to tell Snape straight away. Turning his back on the entrance hall Regulus ran down to the dungeons, into the Slytherin common room and up to where Snape's dormitory was. Casting a silencing charm so that nobody could hear him he went over to Snape's bed and watched him sleep for a moment.

"Severus!" Regulus snapped after he had had his fill of watching, his arms folded as he watched the older Slytherin still sleeping. The dark haired sixth year moaned and cracked his eyes open. The dormitory was full of sleeping sixth years, some of them moving around in their sleep or talking quietly, Reg was the only fully awake person in there, and Severus wondered for a moment whether he was dreaming or not.  
>"Come on Sev, wake up!" Regulus demanded, jumping on Snape's bed and ripping the covers of his lover. The temperature of the room hit Snape and he jumped upright, reaching for the covers. Reg sat on them to stop him from getting them and Snape glared at him.<p>

"What could be so important that you felt you had to wake me up at half six in the morning?" Snape inquired, sitting up and raising his eyebrows. Reg looked around the room, glad the silencing charm he had cast was holding, and crawled onto Snape's lap, pulling the covers with him and covering them both with it.

"I saw something weird." He began, before Snape distracted him by wrapping his arms round his waist and leaning backwards against the headboard of his four poster.

"What?"

"First I need to tell you something first, it slipped my mind yesterday because of potions work," Reg started again, "During Herbology yesterday I came across a dangerous plant." Snape chuckled and Reg pinched his arm, "Shush, this is important." He snapped, "Anyway," He stated, continuing, "Professor Sprout said that a quarter of this plants leaves can knock a person out for several hours, and any more than that can kill them. I've been pondering how we're going to knock Sirius out recently and this just seemed so perfect. If we were blamed and we had used spells they could draw those spells from our wands, and prove that we are to blame, but if we use this plant, grounded up in a drink or something, they would never link it back to us. That was my thinking." Reg finished and tilted his head back to look up at Snape from where he sat.

"Sounds interesting, how do you propose to administer the plant to his drink?" He asked. Reg frowned.

"I haven't planned that bit yet Sev, one part at a time." He replied and Severus' smile widened.

"So what did you see that was weird?" He asked. Reg nodded and squirmed around a bit to get more comfortable.

"I was checking which greenhouse the plants were actually kept in so when it came down to stealing it, it would be easier and on my way back in I saw Madam Pomfrey helping a cut up Remus Lupin into the castle. He was wearing one of Sirius' robes under a load of blankets."

"Rough night?" Snape interrupted and Reg glared at him, "Sorry."

"To be honest I thought that at first as well, but he looked tired and ill, very ill. What's weirder is that Potter, Sirius and Pettigrew all appeared about five minutes after as well, and it seemed they were sneaking back in. If they had been out there with permission they wouldn't have had to be so careful, and Pettigrew lied to me when I asked what they were doing as well, I could tell because it really annoyed Sirius when he gave me an answer. Do you not think that's weird?" Regulus asked, relaxing against Snape's form now and closing his eyes. Snape pondered on what Regulus had told him. He remembered that he and Reg had snuck up to the Astronomy Tower last night to watch the sunset and the stars come alive, and there had been a full moon alive in the sky above them. Could it be possible that Remus Lupin was a werewolf? And the other three Marauders knew? Snape couldn't help but feel he was right, but there was an element missing, the three Marauders couldn't go near Remus as humans during a transformation, even if Remus had been drinking the newly invented Wolfsbane Potion. So how did they do it, if it were true?  
>"Sev!" Regulus cried and Snape broke out of his thoughts.<p>

"What is it?" He inquired, startled.

"Are you okay?" Reg asked.

"Yeah...I was just thinking about how weird that is and...a possible solution for it." Snape said slowly, afraid to voice his opinion yet, until he had a little more proof. Regulus smiled and turned over, kneeling between Snape's legs and kissing him gently.

"Since we're awake and...we have a long time until classes start, how about we use it for something else?" Reg asked. Snape smirked and pulled Reg down into a deeper kiss, drawing the curtains around his four poster with a flick of his wrist.

Remus felt physically and mentally exhausted when he awoke in the darkness of the Hospital Wing. He had been sleeping on and off all day and sometimes he had seen Sirius and James and Peter standing by his side, but he wasn't sure if he had imagined it. The room was silent, but Madam Pomfrey soon realised that Remus was awake and was immediately bustling around him, checking his scratches and giving him a foul tasting tonic to help with his exhaustion.

"Knock knock." Came a voice from the door and both Remus and Madam Pomfrey turned to see Lily and Sirius stood there, a strange combination if ever there was one. Remus smiled.

"You really shouldn't be here, he needs rest." Madam Pomfrey clucked but Sirius was already striding across the room.

"Please Madam Pomfrey, he's been alone all day and now that he's awake he should be okay enough to see his friends?" He asked, using his natural ability to charm ladies to his advantage.

"Fine, but only for an hour, this boy needs rest." She gave in with a faint smile and Sirius bowed to her as she walked to her office.

"How are you Remus?" He asked immediately, sliding into a seat on the edge of Remus' bed and taking his lovers hand. Lily crossed the room as well, sitting in the empty chair beside Remus' bed and smiling at her friend.

"I feel...tired." Remus truthfully admitted. He knew there was no point trying to lie after the full moon, he had not had the chance to look in the mirror and was not sure if he looked tired or not.

"We brought you something." Lily smiled and they both pulled a full bar of Honeydukes chocolate from their pockets. Remus couldn't help but smile when he saw this and he thanked them both. Sirius opened his and broke a chunk off, holding it to Remus' mouth and smirking when the boy bit a large section of it off, his face lighting up when he felt it melting on his tongue.

"Sirius this is my favourite one." Remus exclaimed as soon as he was done.

"I know, that's why I bought it." Sirius laughed. Knowing he would fee fat if he ate the whole bar straight away Remus did not ask for more, but Lily offered him some of the bar she had brought instead and Remus couldn't deny he wanted to eat it, so he did. Sirius' smile when he saw Remus giving a genuine, if slightly tired smile, was wide and Remus noticed it, but he didn't know the real reason for his lover smiling. Silently Lily and Sirius fed Remus the equivalent of a whole bar of chocolate, leaving them with around a half left of each. They didn't mention that to Remus.

"How do you feel now?" Sirius asked.

"I feel a lot better." Remus admitted and smiled. Sirius returned it.

"Do you want me to ask Madam Pomfrey if she'll allow you to shower?" Sirius inquired and Remus considered it. He had been in bed all day, and he had also had a slight fever, so he was sweaty and did need a shower, but he felt weak. Then again, Sirius could always get in the shower with him, Madam Pomfrey didn't have to know.

"Okay." He replied. Sirius disappeared into Madam Pomfrey's office and Remus couldn't help but notice how he shut the door firmly behind him, whereas Madam Pomfrey usually left it ajar. Lily saw his concern.

"Do you really think that Sirius would do that with Madam Pomfrey?" She asked incredulously and Remus blushed when he realised Lily could tell what he was thinking.

"I...no, it's just that Sirius really could do whatever he wanted with anybody." Remus admitted and Lily smiled.

"He could, but he wouldn't. I've noticed the change in Sirius recently; he's so attached to you that if anybody even decided to start a rumour that he was cheating he would destroy them. Sirius wouldn't do anything to hurt you, not intentionally." She said happily and Remus blushed.

"I wouldn't hurt him either Lily." He said.

"I know you wouldn't." Lily replied quickly just as Sirius and Madam Pomfrey reappeared.

"How are you feeling Mr. Lupin? Up for a little walk?" She asked and Remus couldn't help but see the small blush on her cheeks. He nodded and Sirius smiled at him.

"I told you Madam Pomfrey, he'll be fine, I won't leave his side I promise." The black haired boy stated and Madam Pomfrey shot him a slightly disapproving look, which Sirius ignored.

"Alright then, you can go to the Prefects bathroom situated a floor below. Once he's clean I want him right back here so I can check him out and see if he is well enough to return to the dormitory." She agreed and bustled off back to her office.

"Come on them Remmy." Sirius cried and held his hands out to Remus. Remus threw the covers off his body and jumped into Sirius' arms, stumbling in his weak state, but Sirius had him securely when he did. Taking a gentle hold of his lover Sirius smiled at Lily and then helped Remus towards the door, the red haired girl in tow. She held the door open for them and then skipped off to the dormitory, calling to them that she'd see them both later. The corridors were near enough empty, everyone was in their respective dormitories and common rooms, and when Lily arrived that was where she found her friends, along with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.

"Hey Lily," James called as soon as she entered. Biting back a curt, and slightly mean reply, Lily turned to him.  
>"How's Remus?" He asked. Lily smiled and saw the blush on James face, feeling satisfaction when she saw it.<p>

"He's fine, Sirius has taken him for a shower." She replied.

"How did he get Pomfrey to agree to that?" James asked, extremely aware at the moment that he was having a conversation, kind of, with Lily and feeling his heart beat a little faster.

"It's Sirius, he can do anything." She stated and James nodded, the answer was rather obvious. Wondering if there was anything he could do to keep her talking to him.

"Do you want to sit down, James?" Lily asked. James jumped.

"Oh…yeah sure." He mumbled and followed Lily to two secluded arm chairs. They sank into them and James felt his face growing more steadily red as the minutes passed by.

"Remus told me about Snape and Regulus and the plan you overheard." Lily said after a moment.

"He did?" James was surprised.

"Yeah. It's so sick how he's planning to go as far as that to get revenge for something that, though may have been somewhat your fault, was his own downfall." Lily spat and James smirked.

"Yeah, and we think it was one of them that got Sirius as well." James admitted.

Lily nodded, "I know, Remus told me that as well. That little rat. I don't really like Sirius, but he's tolerable sometimes, and he is really protective of Remus, and Remus needs somebody like that. He didn't deserve to be attacked, no matter what he's done to Severus." She exclaimed and James smiled again.

"I'm worried encase they do something to Peter, or Remus. Sirius and I can defend ourselves, and I'm not saying those two can't," James said hurriedly when Lily looked at him sceptically, "But me and Sirius aren't afraid to use magic offensively, whereas Remus and Peter aren't as willing to break the rules." He amended what he said quickly and Lily had to admit that he had a point.

"I can walk around with Remus as much as possible, since we're both prefects. As for Peter, he's always with you and Sirius anyway, so he'll be protected." She pointed out after a moment of thinking. James smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you Lily," She sent him another one of her dazzling smiles and James felt his heart quicken near to exploding point and his cheeks reddened again.

"Hopefully they'll be coming back soon, you can talk to them about it then." She stated and James nodded. Getting up from her chair Lily signalled to her two closest friends and they disappeared up to the girls dormitory together, leaving James sat in the chair with his mind racing.

Sirius had decided once they had entered the Prefect's bathroom that Remus deserved a bath more than a shower and had gone crazy adding bubbles to the water. Remus had watched, amused, as Sirius transformed into Padfoot and chased the rugby ball sized ones around the room as they poured from one of the taps.

"Will you get in with me?" He asked when the bath was done and Sirius was sat on the edge, licking himself in a very Padfoot style way.

"Sure." Sirius replied, looking up at Remus with his arm still in his mouth. Remus giggled and removed it, replacing it with a quick kiss before turning his attention to Sirius' robes. Patiently waiting until Remus had divested him of most of his robed Sirius pulled Remus close and kissed him.  
>"Do you need some help with your robes Remus?" He inquired and Remus nodded. He wasn't entirely sure if he did need the help, but he wanted it anyway. Sirius did not undress him in a seductive way, like he normally did to tease Remus, but a gentle way. His movements were very careful and he made sure that when he pulled Remus' robes over his head they didn't catch on any part of him. When they finally both stood naked together they smiled and kissed again. Sirius ran an eye over Remus' body, the cuts and bruises he had from the night before shining against his pale skin. The boy did not look as bad as he normally did, which was a relief for Sirius.<br>"I'll get in first okay? Then help you in afterwards." He told Remus and the light haired boy nodded, waiting, shivering a little, as Sirius stepped into the bath, pushing the bubbles aside as he did so. There was a ledge about waist deep in the water which Sirius sat on and was pleased to find there was enough room for Remus to sit between his legs, resting on his chest. Reaching a hand out to his lover Sirius gently helped him into the water and Remus settled between Sirius' legs, letting the water wash over him and soothe his aching body.

"How did you charm Madam Pomfrey into letting me come here?" Remus inquired after a moment and Sirius blinked.

"Charm? I didn't." He replied. Remus turned slightly and looked up at his lover.

"So what did you do?"He asked.

"I just told her that you could do with a wash and said that you'd been feverish throughout the day, so probably didn't feel completely fresh. She looked a little suspicious, like she could tell I knew why you were so ill, but she didn't say anything, just agreed." Sirius explained but Remus felt there was a little bit that Sirius was withholding from him, but he didn't press, merely rested his head against Sirius' chest and lay there, completely relaxed. Sirius had never suggested this before but Remus decided that he rather enjoyed it and made a mental note to ask Madam Pomfrey if he could shower every day after the full moon, if it meant he could sit there and relax with Sirius.

The two Marauders were not the only two relaxing in a bath. In another Prefect bathroom that Regulus had stolen the password for and then charmed the door so it would only open from the inside, Regulus himself and Snape were relaxing, in near enough the same position as Remus and Sirius, except that the younger Black was the one sitting between Sev's legs. They had spent about half an hour in silence, but both of them were thinking hard.

"Say Sev," Regulus broke the silence and Severus titled his head down, leaning his chin on the top of Reg's head, waiting for his lover to speak. "It's nearly Christmas right? And we Remus and Sirius are staying here at Christmas right? Have you informed your parents you're staying yet?" Reg asked.

"No, I'll owl them closer to the time. They won't mind though. I'll keep a close watch on Sirius and Remus while you're gone, don't worry." Snape replied.

"I know you will." Reg smiled. Their plan was finalised. The week before the Christmas holidays, which were drawing ever nearer, they would send Sirius to the Hospital Wing and then charm Remus and James to do sexual things together when Sirius is heading back to the dormitory after his week there. Betrayed and humiliated Sirius would break off all contact with both Marauders, effectively breaking their bonds. To avoid suspicion Regulus would go home for the holidays as normal and Snape would stay, which was not abnormal and during that time he would keep an eye on Sirius and Remus and see how their relationship was deteriorating.

"Reg I was thinking about the plan." Snape began and Reg moved in the water, slipping from between Severus' legs so they were facing each other.

"What?"

"Well, instead of charming both Remus and James why don't we just charm one? Potter perhaps? That way he will be alienated but their bonds will still be broken? I want the most revenge on him." Snape said cautiously and Reg smiled widely.

"That's brilliant. Our last minute change may just serve to poison them more than ever. You're brilliant, Sev." Reg complimented and swam a little closer, kneeling between Severus' legs and kissing him. Snape smirked when Reg moved back.

"Of course." He whispered and the rest of the bath was lost in moaning and friction. Outside the window the first few drops of snow were beginning to fall on the grounds of Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>So it's been a while since I updated, but there have heptic things going on recently, so I've not really had the chance to write the fic as much as I'd want to ^^ But here is the fourth chapter. Something big is going to happen in the fifth chapter, so please look forward to it.<p> 


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